VALLEY, Ala. – Freshman kicker Logan Wandzilak nailed a 27-yard field goal as time expired to give Point (Ga.) University a 23-21 win over the University of Pikeville on Saturday afternoon.
 
The win gave the Skyhawks a shocking win over a Bears' team that entered 4-0 in AAC play and needing only a win to claim a share of the conference championship.
 
UPike used a third-down sack by senior Elijah King-Turner and graduate student Ben Tate and a sparkling fourth-down pass breakup by senior Ja'Vione Shepherd to turn Point over on downs with 4:29 left.
 
The Bears took over on their own 35 and picked up a pair of first downs in an attempt to run the clock out, but on third-and-10 at the Point 42, the Skyhawks intercepted a pass and took over on their own 38 with 59 seconds left.
 
Senior quarterback Mitchell Gosset led the charge downfield, picking up 17 yards on a keeper and 15 more on a pass to senior Adam Sanders to get the ball to the UPike 30.
 
A costly pass interference penalty got the Skyhawks in field goal range, and a timeout with two seconds left set the stage for Wandzilak. His first kick bounced off the right upright, but the Bears had called timeout.
 
The second was good.
 
Point is now 3-6 on the season but 3-1 in the AAC. UPike is now 4-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
 
The Skyhawks got on the scoreboard first, as Gosset hit Quintravious Te, who ran 61 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Wandzilak made the kick to push it to 7-0 with 14:39 still to play in the opening period.
 
UPike took the ball and methodically moved 70 yards on 15 plays for the score. It came when sophomore Amon Williams ran for the last yard, and senior Austan Shuffler's kick tied the game with 7:39 on the clock.
 
But Point scored twice in the second period. Again, Te caught a pass from Gosset, this time from 15 yards out, to make It 14-7. Late in the half, Gosset kept for the final 13 yards of a nine-play, 73-yard drive.
 
The kick failed, but the Skyhawks took a 20-7 lead into the break.
 
The third quarter belonged to the Bears. They took the opening kickoff straight downfield, needing seven plays and 3:04 to cover 67 yards for the score. Jordan Williams found the end zone on a 16-yard pass from Kirkland with 11:48 to play in the third.
 
Shuffler's kick made it 20-14.
 
Only five minutes later, the Bears scored again. Kirkland hit Jalen Royal-Eiland for the final six yards of a 54-yard drive, and when Shuffler made the kick, the Bears were in front for the first time at 21-20.
 
Kirkland finished 31-of-44 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Diego Soto led eight receivers with seven catches for 55 yards.
 
Amon Williams had 84 yards on 28 carries and the touchdown to lead the running attack.
 
Gosset was 20-of-31 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Te was his top target, catching six for 109 with both scoring receptions.
 
Freshman Clayton Hutto paced the UPike defense with seven tackles, six of them solos. Graduate student Myson Livingston had two sacks. Tate had 1.5 with King-Turner accounting for the other half.
 
UPike will close out the regular season in the home finale on Saturday, November 16, when they host St. Andrews University. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 with the pregame Senior Day ceremony.